Spend Less on Beauty Products

Who says you can't look like million bucks and still be a cheap-skate? We asked industry insiders to share their smartest money-saving strategies for buying cosmetics, skin care, and hair products (including how to shop online for less). Here's your expert guide to budget-friendly beauty.

Beauty Experts' Secret Arsenal

Beauty Experts' Secret Arsenal

Imagine this: You're standing in the skin-care aisle with a dermatologist who's waxing so rhapsodic about a $4.49 body wash that a passerby pauses, listens in, and promptly tosses a bottle into her own cart. Welcome to our world! We've just been on a whirlwind of drugstore dates with some of our favorite beauty pros, whose most trusted tools often lie hidden in those endless shelves: "Mass-market brands are typically the ones with the biggest budgets for research and development," says New York City makeup artist Kristofer Buckle, who sandwiched our shopping trip between shoots with Sheryl Crow and Christina Aguilera. "So forget snobbery, unless you want to pass up some amazing products." At this, yet another customer stopped mid-aisle — then began trailing us. But we welcomed every eavesdropper. Because as much fun as discovering a secret is, sharing it is even better.

Join the Club

Join the Club

Sign up for in-store cards and frequent-buyer programs to further boost your savings. "At a drugstore like CVS, that's how you get prices in line with Walmart's," says Grant. What the retailer receives in return: customer loyalty, plus details on your shopping habits that potentially translate into more personalized service — and increased sales. When you scan your CVS ExtraCare Rewards card at the in-store coupon kiosk, for example, the machine spits out offers linked to prior purchases, such as a coupon for a facial cream from the brand of cleanser you currently buy. Enroll in Sephora's Beauty Insider program, and the dollars you earn are redeemable for deluxe-size samples from companies like Laura Mercier and Stila; Sephora also sends you a gift on your birthday.